Development of paleoseismic trench logging and dating techniques: a case study on the Central North Anatolian Fault

The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) is a dextral strike slip fault zone extending ~1400km in an arc across northern Turkey. This study seeks to further constrain the timing of ground rupturing earthquakes of the NAF while developing the techniques used in paleoseismology. A paleoseismic trench was opened ~2.7km NW of Destek on a segment which ruptured (for ~280km) in the 1943 Tosya Earthquake (Mw:7.7). The trench site comprises a pop-up structure formed by a small releasing step-over at a restraining bend which has caused progressive growth of an upslope facing scarp. The trench is situated across the main fault trace and a trapped sedimentary sequence that includes several paleosoils. The stratigraphy is expected to be Late Holocene and historic in age due to the high level of activity on the NAF, although this has yet to be confirmed by radiometric dating. Preliminary interpretation of the trench stratigraphy indicates a record of up to 6 paleoearthquake events, the presence of an angular unconformity suggests the record may be incomplete beyond the 3 most recent events on this strand.Subtle contrasts in stratigraphy made conventional face logging difficult and was therefore augmented by mapping the magnetic susceptibility (MS) of the west wall. Approximately 6000 measurements were made using a Bartington MS2 Magnetic Susceptibility Meter with a MS2E (point) Sensor with a 5cm vertical spacing and a 20cm horizontal spacing predominantly on one side of the trench. A pilot test led to development of a strategy of moving the sensor to the nearest exposure of coarse sand or finer grained material where possible to minimize the noise generated by individual clasts. To negate the sensitivity of the MS logging method to variations in temperature the survey was conducted at night. Plotted data clearly shows the contact between rock units, the rock-soil interface (reflecting fault juxtaposition), anthropogenic influence and some soil stratigraphy. Other paleoseismic investigations on this section of the NAF (Hartleb R. et al 2003 and Yoshioka T. et al 2000) have encountered out-of-stratigraphic-order ranges in 14C ages. They attributed this to reworking, in addition to which the effects of long term human occupation are likely to be similar. The trench yielded a large amount of datable material including 158 charcoal and 140 minute gastropod samples, and some ceramic, bone and slag samples. Unlike charcoal and bone fragments, fragile minute gastropods are unlikely to have been transported, reworked or used by humans, ultimately providing improved accuracy of temporal constraints on paleoearthquakes. Using both charcoal and gastropod samples, the trench chronology can be established and the use of minute gastropods for dating paleoearthquakes can be critiqued

The Cultural Project : Formal Chronological Modelling of the Early and Middle Neolithic Sequence in Lower Alsace

Starting from questions about the nature of cultural diversity, this paper examines the pace and tempo of change and the relative importance of continuity and discontinuity. To unravel the cultural project of the past, we apply chronological modelling of radiocarbon dates within a Bayesian statistical framework, to interrogate the Neolithic cultural sequence in Lower Alsace, in the upper Rhine valley, in broad terms from the later sixth to the end of the fifth millennium cal BC. Detailed formal estimates are provided for the long succession of cultural groups, from the early Neolithic Linear Pottery culture (LBK) to the Bischheim Occidental du Rhin Supérieur (BORS) groups at the end of the Middle Neolithic, using seriation and typology of pottery as the starting point in modelling. The rate of ceramic change, as well as frequent shifts in the nature, location and density of settlements, are documented in detail, down to lifetime and generational timescales. This reveals a Neolithic world in Lower Alsace busy with comings and goings, tinkerings and adjustments, and relocations and realignments. A significant hiatus is identified between the end of the LBK and the start of the Hinkelstein group, in the early part of the fifth millennium cal BC. On the basis of modelling of existing dates for other parts of the Rhineland, this appears to be a wider phenomenon, and possible explanations are discussed; full reoccupation of the landscape is only seen in the Grossgartach phase. Radical shifts are also proposed at the end of the Middle Neolithic

Large earthquakes Cycles in Lake Sediments along the North Anatolian Fault, Turkey

In 1999, the large surface-rupturing earth- quakes of Izmit and Duzce completed a 60-year cycle that included a westward migration of nine consecutive large earthquake failures ([50 km surface rupture), which started with the 1939 Erzincan earthquake in eastern Turkey. In this study, we focused on seismic cycles and seismic risk predictability along the North Anatolian Fault (NAF). Toward the west end of the NAF (26°E–32°E, i.e. Bolu), large earthquake fre- quency is measured from either historic earthquake catalogs, or geologic records from isolated outcrops and marine sediment cores from the Marmara Sea. In comparison, the eastern part of the NAF zone (32°E– 42°E) is less well documented by palaeo-seismologic archives. Thus, the sediment records of lake basins located on the eastern NAF zone constitute a unique opportunity for testing a new palaeo-seismologic approach. To this end, we used a diverse array of complementary methods involving: (1) a 600-km transect of fault-related lakes, (2) sedimentologic observations on cores from six lakes, and (3) a comparison between records of catastrophic sediment transfers in lakes (i.e. radionuclide chronomarkers and erosion tracers) and historic earthquake reports. Our study indicates that lakes along the NAF are sensitive geologic recorders of large surface-rupturing earth- quakes (surface-wave magnitude (Ms) C 6.9); smaller intensities are not recorded. The most responsive lake systems exhibit increases in sediment accumulation by a factor of [40 for a [3-m strike-slip displacement (Ms C 7). However, based on results from the 1939 Erzincan earthquake (Ms = 7.8) chronostratigraphic marker, large surface-rupturing earthquakes are detected only by certain lake records and not by others. Matching multiple lake records along the NAF pro- vides information both on the location of a surface rupture of a paleo-earthquake as well as its magnitude. Finally, the shallow lake basins along the NAF could potentially document cycles of large seismic events for at least the late Holocene.Understanding the Irregularity of Seismic Cycles: A Case Study in Turke

Radionuclide dating (210Pb, 137Cs, 241Am) of recent lake sediments in a highly active geodynamic setting (Lakes Puyehue and Icalma—Chilean Lake District)

International audienceThis study presents an attempt to use radionuclide profiles to date four short sediment cores taken from two Chilean lakes located in a highly active geodynamic setting. In such settings, sediment series commonly contain earthquake-triggered reworked layers and/or volcanic ash layers. All of these layers affect the vertical distribution of radionuclides. The drawing up of accurate chronologies is made even more problematic by the low fallout rates of both natural (210Pb) and artificial (137Cs, 241Am) radionuclides. However, radionuclide profiles can be “corrected” by subtracting the influence of instantaneous deposits that have been identified from detailed sedimentological studies. Thus, radionuclides can be used to provide approximate dates for sediment. Independent confirmation of these dates can be provided by varve counting and/or the recognition of historical events. For Lake Puyehue, this approach has allowed particular sediment features to be related to the effects of the 1960 Chilean earthquake (Mw 9.5) on the lake basin and its catchment area. For Lake Icalma, there is a good agreement between radionuclide dates and the dates of the three tephra layers formed during large eruptions of the Llaima volcano in 1946, 1917 and 1883. For both lakes, artificial radionuclide fallout, which culminated in 1965, provides more robust chronological information than 210Pb dating

Blood Pump Design Variations and Their Influence on Hydraulic Performance and Indicators of Hemocompatibility

Patients with ventricular assist devices still suffer from high rates of adverse events. Since many of these complications are linked to the flow field within the pump, optimization of the device geometry is essential. To investigate design aspects that influence the flow field, we developed a centrifugal blood pump using industrial guidelines. We then systematically varied selected design parameters and investigated their effects on hemodynamics and hydraulic performance using computational fluid dynamics. We analysed the flow fields based on Eulerian and Lagrangian features, shear stress histograms and six indicators of hemocompatibility. Within the investigated range of clearance gaps (50-500 µm), number of impeller blades (4-7), and semi-open versus closed shroud design, we found association of potentially damaging shear stress conditions with larger gap size and more blades. The extent of stagnation and recirculation zones was reduced with lower numbers of blades and a semi-open impeller, but it was increased with smaller clearance. The Lagrangian hemolysis index, a metric commonly applied to estimate blood damage, showed a negative correlation with hydraulic efficiency and no correlation with the Eulerian threshold-based metric

Radionuclide dating (²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs, ²⁴¹Am) of recent lake sediments in a highly active geodynamic setting (Lakes Puyehue and Icalma—Chilean Lake District)

This study presents an attempt to use radionuclide profiles to date four short sediment cores taken from two Chilean lakes located in a highly active geodynamic setting. In such settings, sediment series commonly contain earthquake-triggered reworked layers and/or volcanic ash layers. All of these layers affect the vertical distribution of radionuclides. The drawing up of accurate chronologies is made even more problematic by the low fallout rates of both natural (210Pb) and artificial (137Cs, 241Am) radionuclides. However, radionuclide profiles can be “corrected” by subtracting the influence of instantaneous deposits that have been identified from detailed sedimentological studies. Thus, radionuclides can be used to provide approximate dates for sediment. Independent confirmation of these dates can be provided by varve counting and/or the recognition of historical events. For Lake Puyehue, this approach has allowed particular sediment features to be related to the effects of the 1960 Chilean earthquake (Mw 9.5) on the lake basin and its catchment area. For Lake Icalma, there is a good agreement between radionuclide dates and the dates of the three tephra layers formed during large eruptions of the Llaima volcano in 1946, 1917 and 1883. For both lakes, artificial radionuclide fallout, which culminated in 1965, provides more robust chronological information than 210Pb dating

Geoarchaeological studies of the central French alluvial plain of the Upper Rhine

International audienc

Geoarchaeological studies of the central French alluvial plain of the Upper Rhine

International audienc